The After
by Fenlaur
Summary: Fenton Hardy's strange experience.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

His eyes snapped open. He shook his head and blinked his eyes. He looked around. To his surprise, he was standing beside his wife Laura Hardy and his teenage sons Frank and Joe Hardy. His sister Gertrude stood beside Joe. Laura was crying and Frank and Joe had eyes cast downwards, grief on their faces.

World-renown private detective Fenton Hardy looked around and discovered himself to be at a funeral.

"Oh no," he thought. "I fell asleep standing up at a funeral. How embarrassing!" They were outside. The casket had not been lowered yet.

Fenton looked around. No one had seemed to notice his momentary lapse of consciousness. No one was even looking in his direction. A bit relieved, he turned to his wife to put a comforting arm around her. As he moved, he tried to remember who it was who had died. But try as he did, he could not remember.

"I'm really going to have to see someone about this," he thought to himself as he wrapped an arm around his wife.

He nearly lost his balance. In horror, he realized that his arm had gone right through her body!

He stood frozen for a minute then reached out to touch her again, hoping that he had dreamt it. But no, he discovered in shock, his arm went right through her.

"I must be dreaming," he thought. "Hello! Laura? He said quietly, leaning sideways to his wife. Laura did not even acknowledge that he had spoken. He looked around. He hated to create a scene at a funeral, but he considered it necessary.

"Hello? Frank? Joe? Ezra? Sam? _Gertrude_? _Anyone_!" he shouted, but no one even looked up. They remained silent, looking down at the closed casket, grief written all over their faces.

_Whose funeral was this?_

"Daddy?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Fenton Hardy whirled around at the female voice. Standing behind him was a girl of twenty. She smiled when she saw that he had seen her. She held out her hands and came forward. He knew her. He didn't know why or how for he'd never laid eyes on her before, but he knew.

"Arianne."

Her smile grew wider and she took his hands.

He studied her. She was a little shorter than he. Her hair was jet-black and straight and she had blue eyes. It was like looking at Frank or Joe – she had the same strong jaw line, the same nose, the same eyes, and the same flash in them - all things that people had said that come from him. Yes, she was his.

"Arianne," was all he could say again.

"I love you Daddy," she said, hugging him.

Yes. He knew who she was.

Fenton and Laura had lost a child prematurely before Frank. He had always wondered if it would have been a girl or a boy if it had lived.

It had been a girl.

"What's going on?" Fenton asked once Arianne pulled out of the embrace. "Whose funeral is this?"

Arianne gave him a sad smile. "It's yours."

Fenton Hardy stared. "What?" he gasped disbelievingly.

"See for yourself." Arianne indicated the casket.

Fenton advanced to it, past the pastor, who was still speaking to the crowd. He tried to grasp the handle, but realized that he only went though it. He bent down and stuck his head in. He withdrew it quickly, his eyes wide. He had seen the corpse. It _was_ him!

He staggered back in horror. "What's going on?" he demanded as Arianne came up beside him. She laid a comforting hand on his arm and led him away.

"You died," she said, keeping to a slow walk around the people. "You were too close to an explosion and it injured you. Badly."

They stopped in front of chief of the Bayport police force, Chief Ezra Collig.

"He worked on you – " she indicated Collig. – "but he couldn't save you. You died in his arms."

Collig's face was taunt and grief-filled; probably going over what had happened in his mind.

"Everyone is here for you," Arianne continued, and made a sweeping motion with her free arm. "You touched so many lives. You were kind, gentle, and a good role model." Arianne looked up at her speechless father. "You taught Frank and Joe well. Not only about detective work, but also about life. They are proud of you, just as you are proud of them."

They continued walking.

He hadn't realized it before, but there were _a lot_ of people at his funeral. Along with family and friends, were the Bayport police force and the New York City force, all decked out in their finery. He was no longer part of the New York City force, but they had gone all out as though he still were.

_They would do all this – for him?_

"Don't be so surprised," Arianne grinned up at him. "You're very big in your line of work. And very respected," she told him. She pointed out many other officers and chiefs from other areas around the country, dressed in their uniforms as they strolled along. She pointed out government agents, FBI, CIA – _the president_?

Fenton halted in front of the man to take a better look. _It couldn't be…_

He turned. Arianne smiled and nodded. He turned back to the sombre leader of the United States.

_I never would have thought…_

They continued on. He couldn't get over how many people had attended his funeral. Why – the traffic must be backed up for a mile or two!

"What now?" Fenton asked, turning to Arianne.

She smiled. "You must find your killer," she said. "Then you can have your life back."

"I can live again?" Fenton asked disbelievingly.

"If you can find the one who killed you."

"I'll do it."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"We will have to go to the place where it happened," Arianne smiled. She led him to the sidewalk and they began walking down the street, past the line of parked cars belonging to the people who were attending the funeral – his funeral.

"I feel so much younger and energetic," he said.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Arianne said, easily matching his long strides.

"You never know how tired and sore you are until it's gone," he said. "I feel like I could run and never stop."

"Well, we would get there faster. Race you there!" And Arianne was off.

"Hey wait!" Fenton Hardy broke into a sprint. It felt like only a few moments but soon Arianne slowed to a halt.

"What? Already? I was only getting started," Fenton said. "I haven't even broken into a sweat."

Arianne grinned broadly, and marched on ahead. That smile that Arianne shared with Frank and Joe may be compared with that of their father, but it wasn't all his – he could see their mother in that smile and facial expression at times.

He matched strides with her – in a fashion that reminded him of himself, when he was "on a mission" as some of his friends had joked.

"It happened here," Arianne pointed to a party demolished warehouse. "A bomb went off here. It was remote-controlled and was detonated when you came close enough. The police figure that whoever it was hit close enough to watch you."

"Where was Collig?"

"He and his men were just arriving when you were walking to the warehouse. They were not injured by the blast – it was just big enough to harm anyone who was right on front of the warehouse."

Fenton nodded and began looking around. His keen eyes took in everything.

"Did they find where the man was?" the detective asked.

"No," was the reply.

Fenton walked around, his trained eyes scanning everything. He had never felt so clear-headed in his life. There was silence for a bit.

"He was here," the great detective announced at length. He pointed out a slightly trampled grassy area. He knelt down and examined the area. After a few minutes of scrutiny, he asked. "Do they have any evidence?" he asked Arianne.

"Any evidence is down at the police station," Arianne replied.

"Of course you can't tell me everything," Fenton smiled grimly and got to his feet. "I have to find everything out for myself."

Arianne smiled at him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

They turned from the scene of the explosion and headed in the direction of Bayport police headquarters.

"I suppose my funeral should be over soon," Fenton said, looking at his watch. In the back of his mind, he was surprised that the watch still worked.

When they reached the building, it was quiet. Everyone was moving around without saying a word.

Then suddenly, the door flew open and in stormed police chief Collig, followed by Officer Con Riley, and a bunch of officers who had attended the funeral. The chef was mad.

Fenton was in the direct path of his charging form and didn't have time to get out of the way. He braced himself for the inevitable collision, but felt none. He opened his eyes and realized that his friend had gone right through him.

Fenton sighed and turned to Arianne. "I'll never get used to this," he said.

"Whoever did this is not going to get away with it," Chief Collig roared. None of the officers said anything as their chief raved. "I'm going to find Fenton Hardy's killer if it's the last thing I do and I'll make him pay for what he did!"

Chief Collig stormed off to his office and the door closed with a thunderous slam. All the officers remained still for a few seconds, then they began dispersing.

Fenton turned and went to Chief Collig's office. As he started to walk through the door, he winced and closed his eyes, expecting to collide with the door, but he went through easily. Arianne stepped into the room behind him.

Chief Collig was seated at his desk, his face buried in his hands, and case folders spread out all over his desk. Fenton stood behind his old friend and looked over his shoulder at the papers. It was his case.

Collig suddenly raised his head and grabbed one of the folders and opened it.

"Ah, here we go," Fenton said to Arianne. He read the contents over the chief's shoulder. "Hmm – remote-controlled bomb." He paused, reading the rest to himself. He turned to the girl. "They have no idea who did this. I think we should go home," he said. "Frank and Joe may know something."

The two left the building and headed in the direction of the Hardy home. When they entered the house, he could hear movement in the kitchen. When Arianne and Fenton stood in the doorway of the kitchen, they saw Laura and Gertrude Hardy moving platters of food around in the kitchen. Many friends and neighbors had come by with food and their condolences.

The two women, still dressed in their black funeral clothing, arranged the dishes on the table and the counters. Occasionally, Gertrude would wipe a tear from the corner of her eye.

The back door opened and Frank and Joe's friend Chet Morton and his sister Iola entered the house.

"Hello Chet – Iola," Laura greeted the two teens.

"Hello Mrs. Hardy – Aunt Gertrude. I'm sorry about Mr. Hardy." Chet's lip quivered.

"Thank you," Mrs. Hardy said quietly. "Frank and Joe are up in their father's study. If you would like anything to eat, there's plenty here."

"Thank you Mrs. Hardy," Iola said and the two headed in the direction of the detective's study.

As Fenton followed them, he heard his wife say, "What is this?"

He turned and saw her looking into the dish that she held. Gertrude came up and looked at the food.

"I have no idea," his sister replied, shaking her head.

When Fenton came to his study, he saw a meeting about to 

start. Frank was seated behind his desk in his swivel chair. Joe was seated on the corner of the desk. Both boys wore serious expressions. Also seated in the room along with the new arrival of Chet and Iola were Biff Hooper, Tony Prito, Phil Cohen, Jerry Gilroy, and Callie Shaw.

The teens greeted the newcomers.

"Thanks for coming out guys," Frank said. "We really appreciate it."

"No problem," said Chet. "We want to help find this fiend who did this to your father. He can't get away with this."

"No he won't," the others chorused emphatically.

Frank and Joe smiled their appreciation.

"What have you guys got on this guy?" asked Biff, his eyes flashing with determination.

"Well, we know that the bomb that killed Dad was remote-controlled. The man was hiding nearby and waited for Dad to come close enough to the warehouse so the blast would injure him."

Hardly had they started when the door to the study opened and Laura poked her head in. She opened the door wider and revealed Chief Collig. Laura gave them a sad smile and disappeared down the hall.

"Hello Chief," Joe greeted the man.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Hello," replied Chief Collig. "I knew you boys would be having a meeting about your father's case. I want to get this man as much as you do. I was hoping that if we work together, we might find his killer faster. Other agencies are working on it as well, but I've known you boys for quite a while and you have a knack for getting results." The Chief had a determined expression on his face. The teens knew that he and Fenton Hardy had developed a friendship over the years – and his friend had died in his arms.

Frank and Joe nodded their assent and Chief Collig took a seat. In his arms were the files pertaining to the case.

Frank continued the briefing. "We did a check to see if it could have been someone Dad had put away who recently got out of jail or escaped but that turned out empty."

"What about the case he had been working on when he was killed?" asked Chet.

"The man he was after had been picked up but it wasn't him."

"I questioned him," interjected Collig. "He didn't even know the warehouse had been blown up."

"What was Mr. Hardy investigating?" asked Phil.

"Smuggling," replied Collig. "Jared Ross, the man we picked up, was smuggling guns to the warehouse and they would be sold and picked up. Fenton had caught all the underlings but Ross had still been on the loose. I thought that it had been Ross. After all, it was _his _warehouse, containing guns that _he _had stolen; the money that _he'd _be loosing, but we checked out his story and he has a solid alibi."

"How did Mr. Hardy discover the warehouse?" asked Biff.

"A phone call," replied Joe. "We were there when he got it. He didn't tells us what is was about, but we know he went straight to the warehouse after calling the police."

"This house is closer to the warehouse than that station is and Fenton got there a few minutes before we did," Collig added.

Everyone went quiet. They all knew what had happened after that.

"It wasn't Ross' buyers?" Tony broke the silence.

"No, Mr. Ross accidentally gave them up and they were picked up. They were quite unhappy that they weren't going to get their guns and they too had no idea that the warehouse had been blown up."

"So it's someone who knew about the warehouse, Ross, and the buyers," spoke up Callie.

"Right," said Frank.

"But the phone call – did Mr. Hardy know who he was taking to or was it anonymous?" asked Chet.

"Well," said Frank, thinking back. "From what I remember, he knew who he was talking to. He didn't call the man by name. But he did seem to know who it was." He turned to Joe to see if he had anything to add, but the younger boy remembered it the same way.

Try as he might, Fenton could not remember any of this. The name Jared Ross didn't even ring a bell. But he wanted to live and he knew that if he listened long enough, he might find a clue to his elusive killer.

"Telephone records?"

"Pay phone."

The boys' friends sighed. Another dead-end.

"Could it have been an informant?" asked Chet hopefully.

"It could have been," replied Chief Collig. "But we have no way of knowing."

Another silence.

"Is everyone else as stuck as we are?" asked Joe, referring to the other government agencies that were working on the case as well.

"I'm afraid so. Whoever it is, is really good."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Fenton glanced at Arianne. "We'll just have to keep our ears open," he said.

"We'll just have to keep our ears open," Frank said. Fenton laughed out loud. All of a sudden, the house shook on its foundation. Everyone jumped up. There was a scream from downstairs that Fenton instantly recognized as his sister's.

Frank and Joe, followed by Chief Collig and then the others, raced down the stairs as gunshots rang out.

Fenton, feeling the strong urge to protect his family, raced after them, Arianne at his heels.

When they reached the first floor, the teens and Collig were taking cover in the back rooms of the house. With a sinking heart, Fenton realized that he was useless to them. He just passed through everything.

He raced outside just as a man with a machine gun was getting in the front passenger seat of a car. The car took off with Fenton and Arianne in pursuit.

The two followed the racing car without tiring.

Fenton Hardy did not know how long they had been in pursuit but he figured that it had been long. The scenery had flashed by, but it did not register in the detective's brain. He had eyes only for the car.

After a bit, the car slowed down and pulled up in front of a house. The two followed the two men into the house. Fenton recognized neither. The driver was a slightly fat man with brown hair and a brown beard. The shooter was a well-built man with dark hair.

The shooter laid his gun of the table in the kitchen.

"That put a good scare into them," he laughed. "Did you hear them scream?" He let out a laugh. "When the boss get here, he'll be happy."

"When's he comin'?" asked the brown-haired man who was bent over, looking in the fridge.

"At six, now stop feeding your face before we don't have any food left."

"Hey, we're getting paid tonight, so what's the big deal?"

Fenton was excited. He's finally going to come face to face with his killer.

Fenton tried not to be impatient as the hours ticked by. Arianne grinned at his impatience.

Fenton glanced up at the clock for the hundredth time when he heard the door swing open. He never had time to turn though. He felt like he was paralyzed and all he saw was white light. He let out a groan of protest. He wanted to know who is killer was.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Fenton Hardy's eyes fluttered open. He made out the blurred figure of a man bending over him. The man's head was turned and a familiar voice was saying, "I think he was hit harder than we thought."

Fenton blinked his eyes in an attempt to clear them. He wondered where he was. He didn't remember any of this. Where was the house he and Arianne had run to? Where was his killer?

Then he recognized the man before him. "Con?"

Bayport police officer Con Riley barley heard the dry voice. He glanced down in surprise at the private detective. He noted the look of confusion of Fenton Hardy's face.

"Do you know where you are?" Con asked gently as Chief Collig came into the detective's line of vision.

Fenton blinked and racked his brain for the answer, but he could only remember his search for his killer.

Both officers became worried.

"What's your name?" asked Con.

Fenton rolled his eyes. "Fenton Hardy. I'm forty-five, I'm married, I have two sons, I live on High and Elm – I know who I am, but I don't remember _where_ I am." The officers looked at each other.

The detective made a struggling movement to get up.

"You should stay down until the paramedics get here," advised Collig.

"I just want to see – " Fenton pushed the restraining hand away and sat up. He looked around. He found that he was lying on the ground near the Bayport airport buildings. "The thief," he suddenly exclaimed, his blue eyes lighting up.

"That's right!" Chief Collig urged him to go on.

"I was chasing the thief, trying to get him before he got on the plane. He took off and I got out of my car and gave chase. We were going around the corner when – " The detective frowned and stopped.

"He turned and hit you over the head with his gun," said Con. "The thief ran off. The airport manager found you and called us. Are you alright?"

"Yes. Just a stupid dream."

"What?" asked Chief Collig.

"Oh nothing."

The wail of a siren grew closer and an ambulance came roaring up.

The paramedics hopped out and came over the group. They decided that it would be wise for the detective to be looked over at the hospital.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"So what was it you said about a stupid dream?" asked Chief Collig, strolling into Fenton Hardy's hospital room.

After being checked out at the hospital, the doctors decided that the detective should remain for the night for observation. Gathered in his room were Laura, Gertrude, Frank and Joe.

Fenton sighed and rolled his eyes. "Me and my big mouth," he muttered.

"Do tell," Gertrude urged him.

Fenton told the whole dream. By the end, everyone was laughing.

"What have you been watching on TV?" asked Gertrude with a shake of her head.

"The news?" Fenton shrugged.

"There was a warehouse explosion," Laura said, turning to the others.

"That's right," said Collig. "Well, that's where the warehouse blowing up came from.

"And there's a new movie coming out," spoke up Joe excitedly. "I forget what it's called, but it's about a man who dies and comes back as a ghost and has to find out who kills him and then he can come back to life."

"That commercial was on last night when we were watching the news," spoke up Frank. "I remember because Joe said that looked like an interesting movie and he said that he hoped it would be coming to Bayport."

"And the commercial played twice in a row," added Joe.

"And you were in a house last week with a shooter outside shooting at the house," said Laura to her husband.

"Well, it made for quite the interesting story," chuckled Chief Collig.

"Yeah, and left me with quite the headache," the detective moaned.

"Well, I'd better leave you to rest," Collig said.

"Wait until the others hear about this," Joe said, getting up and heading to the door with Collig and his family.

"Please don't," Fenton moaned. "Joe? Nobody tell anyone! Joe? Joseph Hardy you get back here!"

Laura turned and blew her husband a kiss.

Down the hall Fenton could hear Gertrude curtly say, "Joseph, have you been listening to a thing your poor father said?"

"Awww, Aunty…"

The End

* * *

**Thank you to everyone who read and thank you to Grey Fool, Red Hardy, Angry Penguin, Metascrawler, and BM originally for your revews. They are very much appreciated.**


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